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City, County tally cost of Public Safety required for Oct. 28 rally on downtown Square

The City of Murfreesboro and Rutherford County have tallied the cost of providing security and support services for the Oct. 28 rally on the historic downtown Square.

The City of Murfreesboro incurred a total cost of approximately $101,237 in securing public safety for the event. The City’s costs included overtime for the Police Department as well as Fire and Rescue, Street, Solid Waste, and Urban Environmental departments totaling $89,992. Additionally, the City incurred expenses for supplies, food, and fixed assets totaling $12,050.

The list of supplies (food, tools, safety glasses, etc.) does not include expenditures for equipment that serve the on-going needs of the Murfreesboro Police Department and a growing City. The investments are: $24,998 for Pedestrian Steel Barricades, $109,800 for Gas Masks, and $18,250 for Voice projection units for the Gas Masks.

Rutherford County Sheriff’s Office, Emergency Medical Services and Emergency Management Agency spent about $153,710.81 in preparing for and responding to the rally. About $116,700 was spent for overtime while $37,000 was spent for gas masks and chemical munitions. The equipment will be maintained by the Sheriff’s Office for future use.

The event concluded with no injuries, no damages and no arrests after teams of law enforcement officers screened protestors and counter protesters for prohibited items before entering the Square. The League of the South, who requested a permit for the event, ultimately did not attend the rally. Before 3 p.m., the counter protestors began to leave.

Murfreesboro Mayor Shane McFarland and Rutherford County Mayor Ernest G. Burgess said they were thankful for the extraordinary support from many local and state agencies that again has demonstrated the character and teamwork in this great County.

“We are thankful the event was peaceful and there were no injuries or damage,” Mayor Burgess and Mayor McFarland said.

“We are thankful to our local law enforcement officers and partnering agencies in Rutherford County, neighboring counties and state and federal agencies, firefighters, paramedics, emergency management and other first responders for staffing and supporting the rally,” said City Manager Rob Lyons. “Rutherford County Sheriff Michael Fitzhugh and MPD Chief Mike Bowen should be commended for their leadership. A united community demonstrated how free speech rights can be upheld while protecting public safety.”